On Friday, June 26, by a vote of 5 to 4, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law, ensures that all citizens have the right to marry any individual that they choose regardless of gender. With this one vote, the highest court in the land legalized gay marriage. This ruling has fueled public discourse related to gay and civil rights.
Religious leaders and conservative prognosticators have taken to the airwaves to let the world know how the justices have overstepped their bounds. The response has been interesting; everything from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker calling for a constitutional amendment to counties in Kentucky refusing to issue marriage licenses to any couple in order to avoid adhering to the law.
Opponents view this as an affront to their religious liberties, feeling coerced into having to accept what they believe to be unacceptable. To listen to them (and for the record I am an opponent), this marks the end of civilization as we know it. The outrage in their voices is reminiscent of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling and the subsequent move to integrate public schools. Then, like now, conservative factions rose up in a united voice to protest an overextension of jurisprudence and a violation of natural laws. What these two landmark decisions truly have in common is that they challenge deeply held beliefs rooted in faith by their respective communities. As a result Christians throughout the country are positioning themselves to rise up in protest. Facebook pages, blogs, editorials and tweets are communicating the sentiment of evangelicals all over the land.
However, I want to ask one question: what has really changed? LGBTQ couples will promote in the media that there is an “alternative” lifestyle that involves same sex couples with families and adopted children. Movies and television shows will purport the acceptance of this new lifestyle, with main characters providing soliloquies on human dignity and universal acceptance of all people regardless of race, gender or sexual preference. Interest groups will move to ensure that the curriculum in our early education programs introduce this lifestyle as normal in an attempt to shape young minds. Political leaders will claim this as a major victory for human rights and dignity, likening it to the civil rights and women’s movements, where individual freedoms had been denied people based solely on “who” they are. Religious leaders will construct complex theologies that suggest that oppositional orthodoxy is skewed by patriarchal, homophobic biases, espousing that God loves everyone and that He made each of us the way we are, and accepts us as we are. We will have same sex couples living next door to us, sending their children to school with our children, sitting on the boards of our corporations, and participating in dictating secular policy throughout our country. In short, LGBTQ couples will now have to be an accepted part of our society.
But wait; this sounds like modern America. This is the world our children have been raised in. This is the society we have been a part of. So what has really changed? All of the truisms have been the norm for us. The LGBTQ community has been part of the fabric of our culture. They are our doctors, lawyers, teachers, neighbors and restauranteurs. They run businesses, provide childcare, deliver services and entertain us. They are legislators, entrepreneurs, and financiers. Providing legal status to their long term relationships has not changed our world. On the contrary, it is an acknowledgement of the reality that we have been living for years. This has been our status quo. All that has truly changed is that what has been accepted in “darkness” has been brought to the “light”.
So why so much angst in the Christian community? I believe this is the result of our desire to have it both ways. We want a society where an individual has unhindered freedoms. We want freedom of religion and thought, yet only of those thoughts and religions that coincide with ours. We do not want anyone to tell us what we should or should not believe, what is or is not acceptable, yet we want to determine morality for everyone. We want a pluralistic society without the pluralism. We claim that we embrace “diversity” when in reality we do not.
The challenge of inclusion is that there is no such thing as true inclusion. There is always a point or an extreme where a position must be left out. No where is this more evident than in religious discourse where the presence of absolutes is what distinguishes us. These absolutes oftentimes compel us to break fellowship because the differences are so stark that to continue in relationship results in a violation of conscience. Pluralism requires a mindset of inclusion that disregards these differences. Thus, the problem in a pluralistic, secular society is that there is no one source of truth where differences can be settled definitively. We cannot claim to be Christian, or Muslim, or atheist; we are pluralists. True, there may be commonalities or universal principles that we all embrace, ideals such as the sacredness of human life. Yet even with such agreed upon precepts, there still can be a point of contention where ideologies clash. In the case of the example I just gave concerning life, when does life truly begin? Without a single source of truth, this answer is left to the realm of presumption. Right and wrong is shaped by popular opinion. As society evolves and the moral foundation shifts, what was viewed as unacceptable at one time soon can find itself part of the mainstream mindset. This is what is happening with the discussion around homosexuality.
I do not claim to be pleased with the ruling of the high court. I would have preferred them to have landed on the side of “traditional” marriages. However, they did not. The reason is quite clear: the Bible is not viewed as the single source of truth in the United States. It is respected for sure. Provides guidance and direction for some in power, most definitely. Yet, it does not hold authority in our country. On the contrary, the Constitution does. The United States Constitution is the single source of truth for America. Vaguely written in some instances, it requires the opinions of the nine Supreme Court justices to interpret its intention. From this comes the declaration of right and wrong for our country. It defines the law of the land. As a result, in its latest ruling it is contrary to the Scriptures.
What I believe that we are missing is that there is more to come. This is just the beginning. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:1-5:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.
We live in a time where we can say for certain this is true. The civil and domestic unrest, as well as the self-centered, “what’s-in-it-for-me” mentality that drives us to “win at all costs” crushes underfoot the weak, poor and oppressed. Self-gratification and sensuality are commonplace. What God declares as wrong is being proclaimed as good. As a result, lives are not being transformed. Things will get worse.
So, what should be our response? We have laid claim to this country, this world, forgetting that we are not of this world. And when the world reminds us of this fact we get riled up with righteous indignation seeing it as an imposition on our rights. As I thought about this whole subject the passage of Scripture that comes to mind is found in 1 Peter 2:9-12:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Peter goes on to say,
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
I think our response is easy. Against the shifting tides, God is calling us to represent Him and His glorious ability to satisfy the human soul. His Word must be our sure foundation against the ever-changing landscape of human existence. As such, I believe there are three things we should remember:
- Focus on championing the cause not redeeming the culture (vs. 9-10). We have been called to be a prophetic voice of change not to be the one to bring change. Only God can move the hearts of people. Only He can transform the culture. Our calling is to declare His acceptable day. There is a unique and divinely appointed prophetic calling on each of our lives established for the purpose of declaring the great things God has done for us. It is He who uses His Word and what He has done to us to change others. We must trust Him to do just that.
- Remember this is not our home (vs. 11a). Although I love being an American, I understand that once I gave my life to Christ my citizenship was transferred. I became an ambassador for Him in this foreign land. The United States is not God’s kingdom. Although we may be impacted by the decisions and directions of society, we cannot allow them to influence us, especially when they are contrary to our LORD. We must keep ever before us that we live for and speak for a Holy Nation not of this world. Remembering this reduces the frustration and transforms it to compassion. We see society through Christ’s eyes and this should move us to mercy.
- Guard our hearts (vs. 11b-12). The deceitfulness of sin is in the slow disintegration of morality. What was unacceptable yesterday becomes acceptable today. The enticements of the world and what it has to offer are in constant battle with our souls. As foreigners we live amongst a people who do not have the values that we have. Yet, God has called us to live above that. There is a high standard we have been called to live by. As such, we must balance compassion with wisdom. We cannot allow the changing tides of society to change our position: we must stand for righteousness and when asked to give account do just that.
It always comes back to why we are here. When Christ redeemed us from darkness He could very easily have transferred us to be with Him in paradise. Yet, in God’s divine plan He required that we should remain here, reflecting His glory and good works. The Supreme Court ruling, for me, is but another reminder that we are living in a broken and dying world. It reminds me that there are people hurting and in desperate need for the life giving message of Christ. People are searching for fulfillment. They are searching for love. They will look for it wherever they can find it. This ruling tells us there should be a sense of urgency on our part. Christ made it clear:
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (John 9:4)